As the Emperor's Letter indicates, this cave
is in the center of a star-shaped mountain range, found north of
Tzen on the southern continent. The same mountain range was
visible in the World of Balance, but lacked the opening in the
middle. Information gathered elsewhere suggests that Lock
has come here in search of a legendary secret treasure said
to be able to restore life, so let's start looking.

Incidentally, text in the game data that
isn't typically displayed suggests that an extra step in the quest
was removed during development, involving seeing the old man
living north of the Beast Plain about a
map the emperor had, so
presumably the letter would have mentioned him and this map
somehow instead of leading you to the mountains directly. The
text hasn't been completely removed, however, which can make
for some confusion if you happen to see it.

『よし。
乗り込むぞ！

"Okay.
We're going in!"

Right.
We're going in!

２つのパーティーに分かれます。
（Ｙ）ボタンでパーティーを
きりかえることができます。

You'll split into two parties.
You can switch between
parties with the Y button.

Split up into 2 parties.
Use the Y Button to switch between groups.

Inside the cave, "Another World of
Beasts" plays. Unlike most locations, the game requires
the use of two separate parties here. Make sure both are
capable of fighting off the enemies (or use Mog and Moruru's
Charm to keep one safe). Both parties share inventory, allowing
equipment to be swapped between them as needed. The
monsters are some of the more troublesome ones in the game,
but most are quite vulnerable to Ice,
so freeze them to death. Most also absorb Flame, but few actually attack with it,
so resistance is not a priority. Try not to walk on the spikes,
since they inflict 400 damage to each character per step.

Don't approach the treasure chest near
the entrance immediately. Instead, take the party downstairs
and up another stairway to the south, then step on the switch to
extend a bridge to the chest, thus avoiding a hidden pitfall.

Explore, alternating parties frequently,
since each will need to do things to let the other progress.
My favorite is the switch that drains water from one area to
cool lava in another, opening paths in both. Empty chests
litter the area, but a few treasure chests still contain treasure.
The interesting ones are a Wing Edge, a Ribbon,
and a Wyvern's Horn.

The rare
Gharypdes deserves
special mention due to having the godly Three Stars as a rare
steal. You'll usually just get Phoenix Tails,
though.

There's also a dragon roaming around near
the Wyvern's Horn.

Using Flame
protection and avoiding levels divisible by 4 will protect from
all of the Red Dragon's
dangerous attacks, until it loses about two thirds of its health
and starts using Flare more
often than not. Counter with Magicseal Sword, or just burn off its
relatively few magic points. Trying to use
Reflect won't work as well,
since, similar to King Behemoth, it will targer characters with
'reflect' status and use Eraser to remove it.

リフレクを消しさる

Eliminates Reflect.

Remove "Rflect"

It won't use that more often than once
every third turn, and is just as incapable of removing 'reflect'
from a Reflect Ring as the King Behemoth. Other than that,
the Red Dragon uses Fira
(67%) or Fireball (33%) normally, switching to
Flare (67%) or
Figa (33%) after losing
19,760 (of 30,000) health. It will also use a random selection
of Southern Cross, Level 4 Flare, or Flare Star every 40
seconds. Then there's the chance of a counterattack,
but that's insignificant.

Also, 'poison', 'slip',
'slow', and even 'confusion' work. Nothing to steal.
Win an Ame no Murakumo, the second-strongest
but otherwise unremarkable katana.

８竜 あと４ひき

Eight Dragons: Four more left

4 dragons left.

Unused combat text for this
dragon:

レッドドラゴンは仲間を呼んだ！
フリーズドラゴンしょうかん！

Red Dragon called an ally!
Summoned the Freeze Dragon!

Red Dragon called its pal!
Ice Dragon summoned!

Moving on, the two parties will meet up
shortly after this. Beyond one last cooperative button press is a
familiar character opening a chest...

『{ロック}！！

"{Lock}!!"

{LOCKE}!!

{ﾛｯｸ}「みんな！！
やっと…
見つけたんだ。
魂をよみがえらせる伝説の秘宝…

{Lock}: You guys!!
Finally... I've found it.
The legendary secret treasure
that restores souls to life...

{LOCKE}: You're all safe! Behold...
A legendary relic that can restore life...

"That's...
magicite...?"
{Lock}: Right...
There's a legend that long ago,
Phoenix turned itself to stone.
It was true after all...
The thing is...
it's cracked...
It might not have enough power
like this to cause a miracle.

That looks like...
Magicite...
{LOCKE}: Correct!
Legend has it that ages ago the Phoenix was turned to stone...
And many legends are based on facts...
This has some major cracks in it though...
I fear it may have lost its power over time...

{Lock}: I couldn't protect Rachel...
I've lost my truth...
So nothing's real for me
until I take it back...

{LOCKE}: I wasn't able to save Rachel...
I've lost all sense of purpose...
My life will have no meaning until I can right this terrible wrong...

『行くのか？
コーリンゲンまで…

"Shall we be off?
To Kohlingen..."

Will you come with us?
Only as far as Kohlingen...

Everyone automatically leaves. The sparkle
beyond Lock just acts as an exit in case of a second trip here.

The hook dangling from the airship at the
very beginning is the only other exit, since you cannot use Teleport
Stones or cast Teleport outside
of combat in this location... which means the only alternative to the
sparkle is working all the way back though all the tricks in reverse.
Regardless of how you leave, you'll end up on the airship deck
with Setzer as the sole active party member, so head below deck
to regroup before going anywhere else.

The chest Lock opened also appears
closed on any repeat visits, but there's no significance to this;
it's just an oversight.

コーリンゲンの村
Village of Kohlingen
KOHLINGEN

コーリンゲンの村…

The Village of Kohlingen...

The village of Kohlingen...

Lock enters the basement where Rachel's
body lies preserved. After exchanging looks with the old man, he
places the magicite atop her, but nothing seems to happen.

ｼﾞｰｻﾝ「やっぱりヒビがはいって
いちゃあ、魂をよみがえらすことは
できないねっ ねっ ねっ！
ざんねん ざんねん！

Old Man: It just can't bring a soul
back to life with those cracks.
Can't, can't, can't!
Too bad, too bad!

PATRIARCH: If only the Magicite didn't bear those deep cracks...
I think you've been wasting your time, young man!

The stone glows, then rises into the air
and manifests a large red aura in the shape of a bird, but then
shatters.

Rachel: {Lock}...
I've wanted to see you.
Wanted to talk to you...!
{Lock}: Rachel...
Rachel: Phoenix has given me just a
little time with the last of its power...
but I'm going to have to go soon...
So...
I'm telling you now what I forgot
to say...

RACHEL: {LOCKE}...
I've dreamed of seeing you.
I wanted to hear your voice.
{LOCKE}: Rachel...
RACHEL: The Phoenix has given me so little time...
I have to leave again soon...
But I have something I must tell you...

{Lock}: ......
Rachel: {Lock}... ...
I was happy with you...
When I remembered you at the
time of my death, I felt so...
I went to sleep feeling
so contented.
So...
the words I forgot to say...
{Lock}... thank you.

{LOCKE}: ......
RACHEL: {LOCKE}... ...
With you I was so happy...
In the instant that the accident occurred, I thought only of you...
And about the joy you brought me. Thank you, {LOCKE}...
I'll never forget you...

Accident? I thought she was killed in an
Imperial raid. Or maybe it was somehow taken to mean her fall
in the cave that caused the memory loss.

{Lock}: Rachel!!
Rachel: I have to go now...
Thank you so much...
for making me happy...
Please use my feelings of
gratitude to cut away those
chains binding your heart...
Love that person who is
in your heart.
...... O Phoenix...
Be reborn, and give
{Lock} your power!

{LOCKE}: RACHEL!!!!
RACHEL: I have to go now...
...I'll always love you...
You must now cast off the anguish you've been harboring inside for so long...
Today I set your heart free.
You must learn to love yourself again, and regain your self respect.
...... Phoenix!
Be reborn again!!
And give your power...to {LOCKE}!!

Rachel rises into the air.

{ﾛｯｸ}「レイチェル！！

{Lock}: Rachel!!

{LOCKE}: Rachel!!!

She flickers and disappears, to be replaced
with a few sparkles that fly into a formation that fits the phoenix aura
that appears again. The aura glows brighter and flies off, and the
music fades as the scene does.

{Lock}: Now let's go!
We'll beat Cefca and bring
light back to the world!!!

{LOCKE}: Right, let's move out! We have an appointment with Kefka!

They nod to each other, and the scene
concludes there, with Lock and Celes as the active party.
Fortunately, the airship will be parked just outside of town.

Enjoy powerful healing and revival magic,
plus Figa at an unusually
rapid learning rate, from Phoenix. The Valiant Knife, meanwhile,
inflicts much more damage than the attack power suggests,
since it ignores defense and additionally gets a damage
bonus based on how badly hurt the user is.

炭坑都市ナルシェ
Coal Mine City Narshe
NARSHE

Remember the locks only a treasure hunter
could possibly open? Lock has that covered. Most of the houses
are abandoned, but a few still have occupants. Open the weapon
shop and head to the basement to find the owner still there.

I ran a weapon shop for seventy years.
From this stone I sense a mysterious power.
I'll bet we'd get something amazing if I
carved this stone into a sword...
Well?
Can I try turning this stone into a sword? Leave it as the magicite Ragnarök Have him make the sword Ragnarök

I ran a Weapon Shop for 70 years!
This stone gives off an eerie aura!
If I melted it, and forged a sword, it'd be powerful!
Well?
Make this stone into a sword? Leave it the stone "Ragnarok" Make it the sword "Ragnarok"

よし、わかった。

Okay, got it.

Right.

Unfortunately, it's only possible to get one
or the other, not both. The magicite teaches the game's most
powerful spell and can (sometimes) turn enemies into items,
while the sword is one of the game's most powerful weapons
and is necessary to get a (usually) even more potent one.

You can also steal the Ragnarök
sword during the next to last stage of the final battle, but that
only does any good for the rest of that battle, unless playing
a remake that allows saving after clearing the game.

Incidentally, the owner refuses to leave.

わしは、ここに残る。
ナルシェの民じゃからな。

I'll stay here.
I'm a man of Narshe.

I'll stay here.
This is my home.

Unlock the house
over the accessory shop to find a man sick in bed.

ゴホッ…
これを… これを…

*cough*...
Take... this...

Cough...
Take...this...

The screen flashes an ominous red.

「血ぬられた盾」…
もしその、のろいがとければ
最強の盾となるのだが…

The Ensanguined Shield...
If its curse were broken, it would
become the ultimate shield...

Cursed Shld...
If we could break its curse...
Imagine its defensive power!

The shield is worse than useless,
as it inflicts multiple status effects, causes multiple weaknesses,
and lowers all stats, but if equipped on a surviving character
(except Gogo) for a total of 256 battles...

血ぬられたたての呪いがとけた

The Ensanguined Shield's curse broke.

Dispelled curse on shield

The transforms it into the almighty
Hero's Shield, which has superior defense and blocking,
nulls or absorbs every element, and even teaches
Ultima.